Sing Me Something Soft
by theDoctorlies
Summary: When a little warmth hides what you really feel. NaruSasu!


Title: Sing Me Something Soft

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, not me. I only write these for my own personal gain. Please don't sue meee!!! 

Summary: When a little warmth hides what you really feel. NaruSasu!

A/N: Yet again another NaruSasu! Or a SasuNaru, whichever way you look at it. Ah ha…will I ever get tired of it? Probably not. At any rate, please review! That means click on the little review button! Arigato!

XxXxXxXx

His head was fuzzy as he woke up, and he was wrapped in all too familiar warmth. He wanted to find out why he was so warm, but he was too content to move. So the Uchiha just lay there, breathing softly along with the warmth. _Wait…!_ _Breathing along with the warmth?_ Sasuke lifted his head, which he now realized had been resting on a dark T-shirt. Yeah, a dark T-shirt that was breathing.

"Na…ruto…?" The Uchiha lifted his head more until he could stare down at the other boy's whiskered face, at a loss for words. How the hell had they ended up in this position? One of the blond's legs was curled around his, and not to mention there was a hand resting innocently on his bottom. He had gone to sleep on his own mat, arms and legs resting on his own side. When the _hell_ had _this_ happened?

Sasuke blushed scarlet as the hand on his bottom gave him a soft _squeeze_ then moved up to rest on his hip. Naruto remained still and completely oblivious to the situation he had put his teammate in. Any slight movement on the Uchiha's part would've surely woken the blond up. Cursing softly, the dark haired boy set his head back down, listening to the soft _thumps_ of the other boy's heart. He didn't want to admit it, but Naruto was comfortable, you know, for an obnoxious moron. He kind've liked it.

The Uchiha glared down at the blond practically wrapped around him like a blanket. _This is _your_ fault, dobe. If you weren't such a clinger while you slept, then we wouldn't be in this mess._ Sasuke reached up towards the other boy's face, lightly tracing the whisker marks on the blond's cheeks with the tips of his fingers. It was a soft touch, but Naruto stirred somewhat, making a low noise in his throat. Just like that, the kyuubi-vessel rolled onto his side, pinning half of Sasuke underneath him.

"Dammit, usuratonkachi!" The dark haired boy hissed, trying to carefully extract himself from under the blond's weight. The other boy's knee was rubbing against a very sensitive part of his anatomy, and he could feel the heat of it rushing into his cheeks. _I am going to kill you when you wake up, just you wait, dobe. I will kill you and feed your body to Orochimaru's giant snake!_

Naruto shifted again, freeing Sasuke from underneath him. The Uchiha sighed shakily and sat up, glaring at the back of the blond's head. _Just what the hell was that about?_ Sasuke looked down at his hands, which were shaking, then back at his teammate. _And why the fuck am I shaking like this?_

"Good, Sasuke-kun, you're awake." Sakura sighed, making the dark haired boy jump. She had appeared at the flap of the tent, with bags under her eyes. "It's your turn to keep watch. There's a tree you can look down from. It's the best look out." The pink haired girl crawled into the sleeping bag next to Naruto's, and almost immediately she was snoring softly. The Uchiha crawled out of the tent, his thoughts a whirl of confusion. Just what the hell was wrong with him, reacting to Naruto like that, of all people?

"I must be losing it." He muttered to no one unparticular. He shoved his hands into his pockets and scouted around the tree that Sakura had pointed out. Something was happening to him, and he didn't want to think it had something to do with that blond moron. It was just…impossible.

XxX

On the second night of the mission, Kakashi stopped team seven in a small clearing surrounded by trees. Their client was an old man and he needed more rest than the three of them combined, or so the Jounin said. He called first watch, gave Naruto second, Sasuke third, and finally Sakura fourth. He told them to head off to bed as soon as they ate, and Sasuke found himself wondering if _it_ would happen again. He honestly hoped not; he was freaked out enough as it was. He didn't need it to happen again.

As the night went on, the temperature dropped and Sasuke found himself shivering underneath his thin blanket. He was surprised, but not altogether, when a warm hand found itself on his shoulder and Naruto's mouth appeared next to his ear.

"You want my blanket while I go out on watch?" The blond whispered, his body heat burning straight through Sasuke's blanket into his skin. He was sorely reminded of the last time they were this close, and hastily fought off the oncoming blush.

"You'll be too cold out there without it, dobe."

"No I won't! I'm like a furnace! I never get cold!" The blond exclaimed quietly, although Sasuke didn't think that was possible; the blond was always so loud. Just as he was about to answer, Naruto threw his blanket over the dark haired teen, covering his body _and _his head. "Warm it up for me, ne?"

"Hn." Sasuke uncovered his head and glared at the blond through the dark. Through the top of the tent, he could see the stars twinkling brightly, as if winking at him. "You're an idiot, Naruto. Don't come crying to me if you catch a cold or something."

"I've never been sick in my life! And that blanket will be warm by the time my watch is over. _You're_ the one that's gonna get sick, teme!" Sasuke could tell, even if he couldn't see, that Naruto was grinning like a maniac. The Uchiha just ignored him and pulled the blond's blanket back over his head. After a few moments, the blond wandered out of the tent.

_Please don't tell me it's going to happen again…_

"Teme, wake up. It's you turn." Naruto shook him roughly by his shoulder, and sat back on his heels as the dark haired boy sat up. Sasuke was still tired; it felt like he had just fallen asleep an hour ago. "Oi, did you warm my blanket up for me?"

"I don't know." Sasuke mumbled sleepily. He made his way out of the tent, and was hit with a wall of frozen air. He coughed a little and wrapped his arms around himself. "God, how did you survive out here?! It's fucking cold!" The Uchiha turned towards his teammate and growled. "Built in furnace, my ass." Before Naruto even had a chance to answer, Sasuke walked away, scouting for a place to perch himself for the next three hours. It looked like it was going to be a long night.

He found a tall tree towards the end of the clearing and sat in the highest branch he could find. Hiding in trees made sense because a lot of the time they couldn't be seen. But at the moment, Sasuke didn't think it was such a good idea. Movement helped people stay warm, not sitting in one place for three hours. He was sure he was going to be frozen by the end of his watch.

Three hours later, he made his way back to the tent, teeth chattering. He woke Sakura, told her to bring a blanket, and collapsed onto his mat. The blanket he had with him was thin, so he knew it wouldn't keep him as warm as he would've liked, but it would have to do. Asking Naruto to share his blanket was simply out of the question. He didn't want a repeat of last night.

Sasuke hadn't realized he fell asleep until a tanned arm fell heavily around his waist. Naruto's body heat sang through his blanket _and _his clothes and he couldn't help scooting back into the blond's arms. His breath was coming out in white puffs in front of him, and his teeth wouldn't stop chattering. He wanted to be warm and the only solution was-Sasuke refused to call it "cuddling" or "snuggling''-to get closer to the blond. So Sasuke pulled up Naruto's blanket and moved underneath it, covering them both up.

He fell asleep quicker than he could ever remember.

XxX

Sasuke blinked up at the ceiling of the tent, not knowing what had woken him up. The sun hadn't set, and the air around him was still cold. All he knew was something had woken him up-he wasn't sure what, but that he would find out. He couldn't have been asleep for more than an hour. Then he realized what it was and he felt like hitting himself. Naruto wasn't in the tent.

"Where did that idiot go?" The Uchiha sat up, his palms resting flat on his blanket. He wasn't as cold, now that he thought about it. He figured it had something to do with Naruto's blanket. It was wrapped around him so tightly his legs had gone numb. "Oh, well." Sasuke muttered. "He'll be back soon." He placed himself deeper into the cocoon of blankets and shut his eyes.

Sasuke was half-asleep when Naruto cam back into the tent, shivering, his breath white puffs in front of his face. The blond collapsed onto his mat then grabbed his blanket, and tried to wrap it around himself. Unfortunately for him, Sasuke wasn't in the mood to share.

"Damn blanket hog." The kyuubi-vessel mumbled under his breath, though Sasuke heard every word. He might've smirked had he not been half-asleep. Naruto pulled most of the blanket out of the other boy's grasp and wrapped it around himself. The Uchiha lay there and listen to his teammate complain about cold weather and blanket hogs as his eyes fell shut once again.

XxX

He just _knew_ before he even opened his eyes, that they were in a weird position _again, _and that _someone_ was watching them. So it was with good reason that Sasuke got annoyed, because he _knew_ who was watching them. He wanted to rip their eyes out, but he pretended to sleep, caught up in the warmth and fuzziness he was feeling curled in a certain someone's arms. But, damn it, Kakashi had to go and ruin it.

"Now, what would Sakura say to this? My guess is that she will go off on Naruto, not knowing that _you_ are the one who put yourself in this…position." The Jounin teased gently. There was a sound of book pages rustling and Sasuke tried not to jump up and strangle the man. "And I daresay Naruto will be up soon. Do you really want him to wake up holding you?"

Sasuke's eyes snapped open, and he lifted his head to glare at the silver haired man, knowing he was completely right. But when he tried to wriggle out of Naruto's arms, the blond held on tighter and made the situation that more embarrassing. It was like the other boy wanted to keep him there. When Sasuke moved his leg from between Naruto's, the blond just moved it back. Seeing as it was futile to try and get out of the blond's grasp, Sasuke just put his head back down on his pillow and ignored the way his heart beat faster.

"Guess you're stuck, Sasuke-kun." Kakashi teased. He stood up from his spot in the grass, then reached down to zip up the tent flap. "Sakura went to wash up, so it gives you time to try and get out. And if you don't…well, that should be quite entertaining."

"Ha ha, very funny." The Uchiha called after him moodily. He put his head back on his pillow, and glared at the side of the tent. _If I ever get the chance, I am going to kill Kakashi-sensei. I will burn his precious Icha Icha Paradise then kill Jiraiya for writing them. And Naruto…I don't know what I'm going to do with him._ Sasuke ignored the many mental images his brain supplied him with, and settled on glaring at the blond idiot that had started the whole mess. _This is _your_ fault!_

"Is he gone?" Naruto whispered, cracking one eye open to stare at the door of the tent. He was oblivious to the look of horror on the other's face. "It's about time. And why are you looking at me like that?! You're the one that jumped on _me_, teme!"

"Are you serious?!" Sasuke hissed. He cast a glance in the direction of the lake and listened for Sakura's voice. "You're the one that started it!"

"I can't help it if I move around a lot when I sleep!"

"And yet, that doesn't explain why you haven't let me go." The Uchiha sneered as he glared at the blond, who was half-asleep. _But you don't want him to let go, do you, Sasuke?_ That little voice in his head asked him, sounding strangely like Kakashi.

"Do you really want me to let go, teme?" Naruto asked softly, seemingly reading the dark haired boy's mind. Sasuke stared at the whisker marks on the blond's cheeks, anything to keep himself from looking up into his eyes, for he would surely just fall apart on the spot. He wanted to ignore the pounding of his heart, and the heat flooding into his cheeks, because he wanted to say, "No." And Naruto just waited; his arms still around the Uchiha's waist because he was too content to move.

Sasuke finally looked up, swallowing hard as he nearly lost himself in the blond's gaze. _Calm down, Uchiha! This is just Naruto_! The dark haired boy took a steadying breath and looked the blond defiantly in the eyes. _You can do this, Sasuke._

Naruto blinked innocently, as if the look on Sasuke's face wasn't affecting him at all, even though it was. That threw the Uchiha off, and he lost his composure.

"Do you want me to let go, teme?" Naruto repeated his earlier question, voice sweet like honey. He knew their time was limited, because Sakura was due back any minute now. If that were the case, he would have to let go of Sasuke too soon. "Answer me, Sasuke." The blond urged.

"…No." The Uchiha refused to look up, for the blush on his cheeks would've made Naruto tease him to no end. It was bad enough he couldn't think straight. But, without thinking at all, Sasuke lifted his head and felt his eyes close as their lips touched-

"Sasuke-teme!"

"Wha…?"

"Why the hell would you fall asleep in a tree while you're on watch?" Naruto chided from the ground, his hair bed-rumpled. The Uchiha was confused for a moment, then realized Naruto was standing directly underneath him. It meant that everything that had "happened" after their little groping incident was a dream. But why the hell was he so calm about having a dream like _that?_ "Could've fallen out…" The blond muttered.

_Why_ was he so calm?!

"Teme, get down here. You're too tired to be keeping watch." Naruto started to walk away, his hands shoved into his pockets. With his shoulders slumped, the usually hyper blond looked like he could've been brooding. Maybe Naruto _had _been awake…

"Oi, dobe!" Sasuke yelled as he jumped down from his seat on the branch ungracefully. He staggered at first, but he straightened himself out quickly and started for the blond at a run. Naruto watched him with an eyebrow raised, wondering if the Uchiha was out of his mind. And then all of his thoughts vanished as they collided, the dark haired boy tackling him to the ground. It didn't hurt as much as he thought it would, but the wind was effectively knocked out of him and the trees spun in his vision.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Naruto exclaimed, shoving hard at the other boy's shoulders. Sasuke, for his part, seemed unaffected by the collision and Naruto's shove, and just stared coolly down at the blond. "Sasuke, get the hell off me!"

"I owe you something." The Uchiha said calmly. Again, he wondered where his sanity went, and if he was really going to do what he was planning.

"What the hell are you talking about, teme? Did you bump your head or something?"

"No. I'm getting you back for earlier."

"What?! Hey, what are you gonna do?!" Naruto yelled, panicked, as Sasuke pinned both of his arms above his head. The blond's face drained of color as the Uchiha lifted half of his body up, slipped his hand underneath, and gave his bottom a firm _squeeze_.

"There. Now we're even, dobe." The dark haired boy released his hands, and watched with a smirk as color flooded his teammate's cheeks. Naruto's eyes were the size of tennis balls as he watched the Uchiha stand up and dust of his shorts. "Come on, usuratonkachi. We should get back to camp."

"But I-you…"

"What?"

"You just grabbed my ass!" Naruto yelled, pointing his finger accusingly at the other boy. The blood in his cheeks threatened to turn his whole face lobster red. "Y-You're a pervert! Next thing you know, you'll be reading porn like Kakashi-sensei!" He lifted himself off the ground and dusted off his orange pants, then glared at Sasuke. "Thanks a lot, bastard. Now my back hurts."

"You'll get over it." The Uchiha walked away, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He had a feeling Naruto hadn't been awake during that groping. Oh, well. At least he got something out of it.

Behind Sasuke, Naruto tried to keep his eyes glued to the ground instead of the much more interesting sight in front of him. He didn't want a repeat of this morning.

XxX

Three weeks had passed since the groping incidents during their last mission. Though nothing seemed wrong to other people, besides Kakashi-somehow he knew everything-Naruto and Sasuke had taken to putting a lot of space between them. Now, whenever there was a mission, neither ninja wanted to be alone with the other. There was a silent agreement that they would always be with _someone_ _else._ That may have been a great plan had Naruto realized that Sasuke hated Sakura's consistent attention. You'd think after five years of rejection Sakura would move onto another good-looking guy.

So it was with good reason that Naruto was in a bad mood all through training, knowing full well that he would be stuck with the Uchiha during the mission. Kakashi, observational as he was, noticed the rising tension between his two students and put them together. The clever Jounin failed to tell them just how much tension there was and left out the part about it being "sexual". So Naruto trudged back to his apartment, exhausted from the beating Sasuke had given him for no particular reason. He should've realized then that it was the "tension" fueling his unusually competitive teammate. But as it was, Naruto was Naruto, and he didn't pay attention.

The kyuubi-vessel enjoyed a steaming cup of ramen as he thought it all over, and nearly gagged when his brain suddenly showed him a most unwanted image. Naruto set his ramen cup on the table and sat back in his chair, sighing deeply. When he had finally made it into the shower, the water burning the stiffness out of his back and shoulders, he thought about the mission. He just _knew_ something was going to happen to change their friendship forever. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what, though.

XxX

When he arrived at Team Seven's meeting point; he wasn't surprised to see that Kakashi had yet to arrive. So the blond set his bag on the ground and sat next to it, back turned towards his two teammates. He knew that he would never look at Sasuke the same after the last mission, especially if the Uchiha kept staring at him like that. It made him feel perverted like Kakashi or ero-sennin, or the closet pervert Ebisu. He could hear his own words reflected back at him:

"_Y-You're a pervert! Next thing you know, you'll be reading porn like Kakashi-sensei!"_

Naruto hung his head and groaned. If things got any worse during the mission-which they usually did, anyway-then something was going to give, and Naruto was afraid it was going to be him. He could see it now. He would start off with a full cup of ramen, and little by little the noodles would disappear, eventually leaving an empty cup. Why did Kakashi have to go and dangle Sasuke in front of him like that?

The blond didn't realize Kakashi had arrived until he heard Sakura's yell of his being late, and he turned around to see everyone staring at him. He just gave a nervous laugh, his hand going behind his head in that familiar gesture, and tried not to look at Sasuke.

"I wasn't paying attention." He explained sheepishly, when in all truth he really wasn't, but they didn't need to know what he had been thinking about. After a brief moment of awkward silence, Kakashi finally explained their mission to them. He told them that they would be doing another escorting mission, where they had to escort the daughter of the daimyo to a neighboring village. The trip itself was extremely short, but at the rate they would be walking, it would take much longer.

As soon as their client showed-they learned her name was Himeko-they set off for the tiny village on the outskirts of the fire country.

XxX

Team Seven soon learned that Himeko was a very talkative girl and had her eyes on a certain boy with dark hair. Naruto felt a string snap inside him-it was obviously Sasuke she was blushing about-and suddenly he had the same murderous look as Sakura. The dark haired boy in question just walked calmly on, walking side by side with Kakashi as he threw Naruto a curious glance over his shoulder.

"And he's so talented!" Himeko exclaimed, completely oblivious to the fact that two of her escorts were glaring kunai at her head. She seemed to get more wistful as she clasped her hands together and skipped up to Sasuke's side. "May I see your Sharingan, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, her eyes sparkling as she batted her eyelashes at the Uchiha. "I've heard such wonderful stories!"

Out of nowhere, two hands grabbed her, one on each arm, and she was pulled roughly back between Naruto and Sakura.

"Sorry, Himeko-_chan_!" Naruto sang, his voice laced with murderous intent, although he was smiling cheerfully. "You should probably stay back here with us."

"But-" The girl protested weakly, her eyes darting to Sasuke for help.

"He's right, Himeko-chan! Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sensei have to scout around for enemies, so they can't be bothered. Please let us protect you." Sakura smiled sweetly at her, but everyone knew the secret meaning beneath that disarming smile.

"Y-Yes…"

"I have a feeling we're gonna be great friends!" The pink haired girl announced to the group, her eyes zeroing in on the back of Sasuke's head. Naruto knew that look, too. He didn't like it.

Somewhere inside him, he felt another string snap, and he fisted his hands at his sides.

_I have a really, really bad feeling about this mission._

XxX

As the night wore down and the sun hung low in the sky, Team Seven set up camp, pitching small tents and building a small fire. Naruto volunteered to look for firewood, wanting an excuse to get away from Sasuke, but Kakashi told the Uchiha to help. So both boys, one frowning and the other grumbbling, headed into the trees to find some fuel for their fire. The deeper they got into the trees, the harder it was to see their camp and the darker it seemed to get. Naruto could hardly make out Sasuke's figure next to him.

"What were you trying to do?" Sasuke asked, his voice tinged with barely restrained anger. He kicked around some innocent rocks and pretended to look for firewood. "The way you were acting with the daimyo's daughter. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were being possessive."

"I did it for Sakura-chan, teme." Naruto told him, wanting to end the conversation quickly. It was bordering on uncomfortable. The blond picked up a couple of sticks, thrust them into Sasuke's arms, then went to look for more. "Besides, Himeko-chan's fucking gaga over you." There was a shuffle of movement as Sasuke came over to him, that anger still evident in his voice.

"Well, Sakura did well enough on her own. She didn't need your help." It was on the tip of Sasuke's tongue to remind the other boy about his crush on their pink haired teammate.

"Sakura-chan probably would've yelled at her, teme. You know, like Ino?" Naruto moved a couple inches away, not liking being so close to the dark haired boy. As soon as he moved away, though, Sasuke dropped what was in his arms and shoved the blond against the tree behind him. As the Uchiha's hand closed tightly around his wrist, a memory from the last mission cropped up in Naruto's brain.

"Don't lie to me, dobe. I know you too well to believe that crap. I can tell the difference when you do something for other people and when you do something for yourself."Sasuke moved closer, his breath warming the blond's ear as he spoke, taunting. Naruto tried so hard not to shiver, but his body had always betrayed him where Sasuke was concerned. "And you know I'm right, ne?" Three strings snapped in quick succession.

"You're so full of yourself." Naruto hissed, congratulating himself for sounding so calm when his heart was beating out of control. In his mind he was mentally crossing his fingers and hoping the other boy was going to kiss him, not realizing what he had just said.

Sasuke pulled back abruptly, his eyes burning into Naruto's wide, dazed ones. His fingers dug painfully into the blond's wrist as he spoke.

"You think I want all these girls chasing after me? I'd rather be chased by a pack of wild animals and be eaten alive. I have other things to worry about." The Uchiha let go, leaned down to retrieve his pile of sticks, then glared at the blond. "Besides, there's only one person I want chasing after me."

Naruto watched, dumbfounded, as the Uchiha walked away. After a moment's hesitation, he followed the dark haired boy back into camp. Unseen to everybody but Naruto himself, another string snapped, and floated down to rest on top of the others.

XxX

A tick formed in his eye as he watched Himeko watch Sasuke, her expression all sparkles and hearts. Naruto wanted to reach over and strangle her, but then Sasuke's words came back to him, and he shrank back. It wouldn't help anything if Sasuke got even angrier than before.

"Sasuke-kun!" Himeko sang, snapping Naruto's attention back to her like a rubber band. He scowled as the daimyo's daughter skipped over to him and locked their arms together. "Sasuke-kun, can we go for a romantic walk through the forest? The leaves are so beautiful this time of year!"

_Don't rip her head off. Don't rip her head off. Don't rip her head off._

"Ooh! And then we can kiss underneath the moonlight!"

_Don'tripherheadoff.Don'tripherheadoff.Don'tripherheadoff._

"We can declare our love to each other in a field of Azaleas!" Himeko had more sparkles dancing around her head as she giggled and clung tighter to Sasuke's arm. Naruto was shaking with anger, trying to decide on what to take his anger out on: the source or the object? Himeko or Sasuke? Naruto's hands clenched tightly into fists, getting ready to punch the daylights out of one of them when small hands curled around his arm.

"Um, Naruto? Can I ask you something?" Sakura asked timidly, her tiny, pale hands tightening on his arm. She glanced over at Sasuke, then back up at him.

"You can ask me anything, Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, glad that his attention was diverted from the scene in front of him for the moment. There was something sickly-sweet leaking into his stomach and he had a feeling it had something to do with the way his eye was twitching.

"Well, ever since Himeko-chan started to hang on Sasuke-kun, you haven't stopped glaring at her." The pink haired girl cast a hateful glance at the dark haired girl wrapped so smugly around Sasuke's arm, then took a breath and looked back up at the blond. "What I mean to say is, um, do-do you _like_ him? I know it's a stupid question! You two are really close anyway, ne?"

Naruto frowned down at her, then looked up at Sasuke and felt his stomach flutter. Then that fluttering turned into a raging inferno when Himeko tried to hold his hand, but he felt better when Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets and walked ahead of her.

The blond was too caught up in watching Sasuke that he didn't catch the way Sakura's eyes dropped, or the missing warmth on his arm.

"So, you really _do_ like him." She said quietly, suddenly feeling like she was miles away from everybody else. She hated the way it felt. Things had changed right under her nose.

"What?" Naruto asked incredulously, his eyes widening just a fraction. He looked back at Sasuke, refused to acknowledge the flutter, and looked back down hastily. "Sasuke's a jerk! There's no way I would like him like _that! _And I've always liked _you_, Sakura-chan!"

"_Don't lie to me, dobe, I'm not stupid. I know you too well to believe that crap. I can tell the difference when you do something for other people and when you do something for yourself."_

Naruto hung his head, feeling ashamed for lying to two of his closest friends. But it was with good intentions! He couldn't like Sasuke like Sakura did. He just couldn't! It would break her heart and that was the last thing that he wanted to do to his childhood crush.

"_And you know I'm right, ne?"_

"…I'm sorry, Sakura-chan." Naruto whispered, his eyes pleading for her to understand. He could already feel her heart breaking and his broke with it. Tears sparkled in the corners of her eyes, and she shook her head, not wanting him to continue. "I'm sorry, but I can't…I can't stop it." The blond reached out his hand, wanting to comfort her, but she just waved it away.

"I know, Naruto, I know. If I could stop liking Sasuke-kun, I would, because it only brings me heartache." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand then smiled at him, face pinched and sad. "That just means we have to work together to keep that horrible woman away from our Sasuke-kun, ne?" She reached out to interlace their fingers and smiled genuinely up at her teammate. "Partners, Naruto?"

"You bet!" The blond cheered, throwing his fist up in the air and letting out a 'whoop'. He missed the way Sasuke's eyes drifted down to their joined hands then seemed to narrow in anger. Sakura suddenly had a bad feeling about their 'partnership'.

XxX

Naruto liked the way the crescent moon glittered over the water as he slid in, creating ripples on the calm surface. He kept walking until the water reached his shoulders and quickly plunged his head underneath the water's depths then came back up, sputtering. The cool water washed away the thoughts swirling around in his head and left him feeling content in the beauty surrounding him. Nearby crickets chirped, and fireflies lit up the tall weeds floating near the edge of the small lake. He could hear the frogs croaking on floating lily pads as he moved further into the water, the water itself quiet.

_I like it out here,_ Naruto thought, his mind void of anything having to do with Sasuke or Himeko. _If I could live out here like this, I probably would._

He watched as the stars overhead twinkled, and suddenly wished a shooting star would come so he could make a wish. He knew exactly what he'd wish for. He'd wish that things didn't have to be so complicated and that he could somehow learn to understand the new feelings for Sasuke coursing through him. Why, after years of knowing the Uchiha, did they have to show up so suddenly? Did something trigger it? Like maybe they had always been there, but he'd just been too naïve to realize it?

"They've always been there, just in a weird way." Naruto decided, nodding to himself. "Maybe it was my obsession about fighting him that started it all." The blond moved further away from the shore, the water nearly up to his chin. The water got colder the further away he got. He refused to admit it, but he was cold and he really wanted to stay in the water.

"Oi, dobe! Are you out there?!" Naruto jumped and turned in the water, trying to find Sasuke's figure through the dark. He was barely visible, standing on the shore against the dark backdrop of sky. "I think you've had more than enough time out here, Naruto. I'm surprised you're not frozen." The Uchiha's voice had a bit more bite to it than usual, and Naruto thought twice about heading back. What if Sasuke wanted to hurt him or something?

"Not yet, teme! I'm not ready!" The blond yelled back.

"I swear I will drag you out of there."

"I'd like to see you try!" Naruto laughed, floating a little in the calm water. He was sure Sasuke wouldn't really come in to get him, but then he heard a splash of water and panic welled up in his stomach. Oh, man, he didn't think Sasuke was actually serious! And it was too dark to see anything! "Oi, teme, you were serious?! And why do you sound so angry?!"

When he was answered with silence, Naruto's panic rose even more. Either Sasuke was playing a weird game of cat and mouse, or there was something else in the lake with him.

"This isn't funny, Sasuke! Answer me!" Once again there was no answer, and before he could even think of a scathing remark, something grabbed his ankle and yanked him downwards. Naruto swam for his life, arms and legs flailing wildly. He broke the surface, gasping for breath, and was pissed to see a dark lump floating near his arm, bobbing around him like a dead fish. The blond glared at the lump until two dark eyes and a nose appeared, followed finally by Sasuke's mouth and neck. "You're a bastard, you know that?" Naruto hissed.

"So I've been told." The Uchiha muttered.

"Where's your leech?" The kyuubi-vessel asked, his voice full of loathing for the one called Himeko. He moved away from Sasuke, towards the weeds sticking out of the water, and plucked one up. "She was all over you earlier. How did you manage to get away?"

"And what about you, usuratonkachi? Holding hands with Sakura. You're just as bad as Himeko." The dark haired boy's tone was clipped, telling Naruto that he wasn't happy with the whole idea of his teammates holding hands. "So you're with Sakura now?"

"Not that it's any of you business, but no, I'm not."

"So why were you holding hands?"

"Because we felt like it." Naruto started to move back to shore, away from Sasuke and his annoying, stupid questions. He didn't have the patience to deal with a pissed off Sasuke. "I'm going back to camp. You can stay out here and drown for all I care."

"Hn."

"Yeah. 'Hn' all you want Pretty Boy. Hell if I care!" Once Naruto reached the shore, he grabbed his clothes, pulled them on, and walked away before Sasuke had even gotten his shorts on. The blond walked back to camp in a huff, his thoughts swirling like a whirlpool.

_Don't know what the hell I see in him. So freaking pissy. And what did I do?! I can't…oh. He already told me what I did. But why was he so mad?_

Naruto turned around, expecting to see Sasuke trailing behind him, but the path was empty. He couldn't feel the other's chakra anyway near him, either. Naruto bowed his head and continued his trek to camp, in a worse mood than he had left with.

Himeko and Kakashi were the only ones sitting around the small fire, but he just mumbled a goodnight and crawled into the tent without asking about the order in which they would do the watch. His head was heavy from thinking too much, and even then his thoughts were slow. He was a little cold from his late night swim and was staring to wish he had Sasuke's warmth next to him. And as he collapsed onto his mat, his thoughts came together to form one coherent thought that never made it to his lips.

_I don't think it's a crush anymore, Sasuke. I think I…_

And slowly, the last string started to unwind itself.

XxX

There was something familiar teasing the edges of his mind. The familiar warmth that was always next to him while he slept. Naruto cracked an eye open and smiled sleepily when Sasuke came into view, his hair sticking up in even odder angles than normal. The Uchiha's hand was curled next to the blond's, his fingers just brushing those of his teammate. Naruto felt his stomach flutter again.

"It's about time you got here, teme. I was getting cold." The blond murmured as he shifted closer, resting his head softly on the other boy's chest. He reached over and grabbed Sasuke's hand, lacing their fingers together on the boy's stomach. He listened to the soft _thumps_ of the Uchiha's heart, getting lost in the rhythm and nearly falling back to sleep. He wanted to stay awake for this once in a lifetime moment. "You know, teme," Naruto drawled sleepily, "you're really comfy…when you're not being prickly…"

Naruto drifted off to sleep safe with the hope that when he woke up next, Sasuke would still be there to keep him warm.

"Um, Naruto?"

"Hmm?"

"It-It's your turn."

"Five more minutes, kay?"

"But I'm tired." There was movement next to him, like someone was crawling into the tent. "Come on, Naruto. Wake up." A hand grabbed his shoulder and shook him hard, making him whimper and burrow himself further into the warmth already encasing him. It felt so good. "I swear you're like a caterpillar or something. Pretty soon I won't be able to see you." There was a soft giggle, and then the voice shook him again. "Come on, lazy, before Sasuke-kun wakes up and realizes you're drooling on his blanket."

"I'm not drooling." Naruto pouted, distracted by the sound of soft _thumps_ next to his ear. Sasuke hadn't left after all. After a moment of fluttering, the blond opened his eyes and turned his head towards the pink haired girl. Her smile was tired. "Heh, I forgot to ask Kakashi-sensei about watch."

"You're not the only one. I didn't ask, either. Sasuke-kun just woke me up and left." She looked down at her hands, then up at Naruto. "Did you two have a fight again? He seemed really mad about something. Stayed outside longer than he had to."

"Yeah, actually we did. But it was about something stupid." The blond tried to remove himself from the warmth, AKA Sasuke's blanket, but the stupid thing didn't look like it wanted to let go. Then he realized he was tangled up with Sasuke in the blanket. Naruto blushed as he realized that he was going to have a hard time getting out of it without waking the other boy up.

"How did you two end up so tangled?" Sakura asked, leaning forward to help Naruto free himself from the blanket of doom. Somewhere amidst the blankets where Sasuke's limbs and Naruto was sure that was Sasuke's back against his head. What had happened while they were sleeping?

"I couldn't tell you, Sakura-chan. I fell asleep on my mat a couple hours ago." The blond grunted, trying to free his leg from the tangled mass of blanket. He was a little mad that Sasuke wasn't the one he was tangled with, but he could hardly care about that. He was sure he had woken up earlier, only to fall asleep on the Uchiha's chest minutes later. Had Sasuke pushed him away?

There was a soft murmur behind him, a grunt of annoyance as Sasuke tried to fight his way out of his blanket. He managed to kick Naruto in the leg. As the blond was cursing the gods for hating him, Sasuke rolled onto his side, the blanket coming undone around them both.

"There you go, all free." Sakura told him, yawning as she lay back against Naruto's mat. What she couldn't see, though, was the arm wrapped firmly around the blond's waist. "I'll sleep in here 'til you get back, okay? Himeko_-chan_ snores like a bear."

"That's all swell, Sakura-chan, but I still can't move."

"What do you mean?"

"Heh heh…" Naruto put his finger to his lips and pointed down at the still slumbering Uchiha, looking like an overbearing mother holding her child. Sakura looked confused for a moment and opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when Sasuke lifted his head, peering angrily over Naruto's mop of blond hair.

"Were you not paying attention when Sai woke me up back in Sound?" The Uchiha growled, his rumpled hair dampening the glare he sent his teammates.

"Oh, shut up, you jerk. Like it's my fault you're a light sleeper?" Naruto bit back. He pushed the blanket away from his body and crawled towards the flap of the tent. "You can use my blanket, Sakura-chan. Don't let that cranky bastard touch it, kay?"

"Um, okay." The pink haired girl shrank away from Sasuke's glare and buried herself in Naruto's blanket. "Be careful, it's cold out there."

"Aa." Naruto crawled out of the tent, pulled on his sandals, and began his watch. He was worried about Sasuke and Sakura being alone.

"I'm not a cranky bastard." Sasuke muttered, completely forgetting Sakura was there in his state of half-sleep. He pulled his blanket tighter around himself and growled. "What'd he expect me to do? After what he said, I probably should've killed him. Ungrateful bastard." As the Uchiha's words became incoherent mumbles, Sakura rolled over and fell into a light sleep.

Naruto had always known keeping watch was boring unless enemies were on your tail. Sitting up in a tree and keeping watch was about as much fun as cutting yourself on a piece of glass. But he had thoughts of Sasuke to keep him busy for the next three hours. He had to figure out if Sasuke had really pushed him away and if what he had said had influenced the Uchiha's actions.

"Probably." Naruto muttered. He folded his arms across his chest and peered down at the ground below. "Can't blame him, though. I was acting like a jerk just because of Himeko-_chan_." The blond's face screwed up at the thought of her. "Yeah, definitely hate her. At least tomorrow's the last day."

Somewhere nearby owls hooted, their yellow eyes visible through the dark. Naruto shivered, his breath coming out white in front of his face. He hadn't realized how cold it was until he had actually stopped to think. His jacket wasn't even enough to keep him warm. He missed the warm weather of Konoha. Here the weather was very unpredictable for a summer's night.

_As unpredictable as Sasuke,_ Naruto thought. _Sometimes I don't get him, especially now. It's almost like he's jealous that Sakura-chan and I are close._ _Sasuke jealous? That's almost as crazy as Kakashi-sensei hating Icha Icha Paradise. But it's nice to hope, isn't it?_

The blond stretched his legs out in front of him and watched the moon until it couldn't be seen in the sky anymore. The sun was rising.

XxX

The daimyo's daughter was at it again, and this time Naruto was sure Himeko was messing with him. She had claimed Sasuke's arm once again, and she kept smirking over her shoulder at him and a simmering Sakura. Sasuke made no move to quell the boiling hate pointed at the girl from his teammates, and Kakashi probably found all of it to be quite amusing. The blond figured Sasuke was giving him the silent treatment. Ever since last night at the lake, the Uchiha had been silently fuming.

"Sasuke-kun," Himeko giggled loudly, "since it's my last day here, can we do something special? I mean, like go for a romantic walk through the woods?" She flipped her hair over her shoulder, gracefully throwing the blond a wicked smile with it. "What do you say, sweetie?"

"No thanks, I'll pass." Sasuke muttered, not even turning his head to look at the girl. Naruto felt glee bubbling in his stomach at the Uchiha's cold refusal. He would've felt sorry for her had he actually liked her. Oh, but Sasuke wasn't done yet. "Listen, Himeko. I may have lead you on and I'm sorry for that, but I have no interest in you. If I have to be blunt so that you get the hint, then that's as honest as it gets. My eyes are very firmly resting on someone already. I don't need any more distractions from you."

"But I-" Himeko trailed off, staring at Sasuke as though he had grown another head. Her eyes drifted over to Naruto, obvious distaste in her brown eyes. She knew what he was thinking at that exact moment, and her eyes misted over as he let it show on his face.

"You couldn't have let her done easier, teme?! Always the fucking bastard, aren't you?!" The blond took a step forward, all the anger he felt at the lake resurfacing in his stomach. It was sweet and addictive and he could feel his hands trembling. _Always the fucking bastard._

"Why do you care?" Sasuke hissed back, his voice laced with venom. His eyes were cold steel against Naruto's glare and the Uchiha's teeth were bared. He looked like a snake ready to strike, his back rigid. "Make up your fucking mind, Naruto! This is what you and Sakura wanted, wasn't it?"

"No. Not like this and you know it."

"Fine. It's over, and I don't care." Sasuke started walking again, shoving his hands into his pockets and ignoring the looks Kakashi was giving him. Naruto glared at the image of the Uchiha fan as it got further and further away, cursing himself for feeling anything but hate towards that selfish bastard.

"Keep walking, Uchiha!" Naruto shouted, his voice reverberating off the trees surrounding them. It seemed to magnify ten times over, right back into his ears. He wanted to run after Sasuke and knock some sense into him, or-or kiss him senseless, whichever option popped into his head first.

"It's okay, Naruto-kun." Himeko sighed, making her way over to the fuming blond. She rubbed his shoulder then grinned. "I think you should start listening more closely to your sensei. He knows more about what's going on between you and Sasuke-kun than what you give him credit for."

"But Sasuke just-"

"Don't mind me. I'll bounce right back. The question is: will you?" The daimyo's daughter smiled secretively then skipped up to Kakashi and started to talk animatedly about her country. Naruto stared at her back for a moment before turning his eyes on the Uchiha fan.

_What did she mean by _that?

"She's right, you know." Sakura told him as she disappeared from his side, only to join Sasuke up ahead. Somehow the blond wasn't as angry as before.

XxX

Himeko had talked them into staying in the small village for a grand feast in her family's compound. Naruto ate his fill of the food, and went up to his room completely exhausted. Unfortunately he had to share a room with Sasuke, and the Uchiha had been in a bad mood all through dinner. The dark haired boy had gone to bed earlier than usual. Naruto tried to tell himself he didn't care, but he did.

When he opened the door, Sasuke was already asleep in his bed, blanket wrapped around his waist. One arm was tucked underneath the pillow while the other lay innocently next to his head. Naruto blushed at his teammate's lack of a shirt. Sighing, the blond headed over to his own bed and collapsed on it, moaning and rubbing his cheek against the soft material of the blanket.

"This bed is so comfy after sleeping on the ground for three days." The kyuubi-vessel rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling like he didn't know Sasuke was sleeping three feet away. He tried to ignore the urge to crawl in next to the other boy. It was the warmth that got him; he just knew it.

_Or it could be just Sasuke himself. You know you're in lo-_Naruto smothered his face into the nearest pillow, all of the blood in his body rushing into his cheeks. _It's a crush and that's it! I can't love that bastard! Hell no! It's not even a crush! It's-It's…no…_

"It can't be that."

_I don't think it's a crush anymore, Sasuke. I think I…_

"…I think I love you." Naruto blinked up at the ceiling, dazed, not realizing that he had even moved the pillow. He didn't know the ceiling had eyes, either. Where did they come from? "…Sasuke?" Naruto blinked rapidly, then gasped and promptly fell off the bed. "Sasuke! God, you scared me!"

"Are you trying to kill yourself, usuratonkachi?" The Uchiha asked bemusedly, the corners of his mouth twitching as he stared down at the blond. He tossed the pillow back onto the bed then offered a hand to the boy on the floor. "And thanks for waking me up."

"You're the one sneaking up on people." Naruto mumbled as he rubbed his bottom. He sat back on the bed and pulled the pillow into his arms. He was trying to keep the blood out of his cheeks, seeing as Sasuke was standing before him in nothing but a pair of boxers. "And you're a light sleeper. It's not hard to wake you up. So, why don't you go back to sleep and leave me alone?"

"You were talking to yourself." Naruto paled, realizing that Sasuke had heard his little confession when he meant to keep it locked inside his head. Damn it, he had been thinking out loud again. "Who do you think you 'love', Naruto?" The Uchiha asked.

"None of your business, teme, now go back to sleep!" The blond rolled onto his side, back facing the other boy. When Sasuke didn't walk away, Naruto whacked him with his pillow. "Your bed is over there. Now leave me alone so I can sleep in peace."

"…I can't sleep."

"That's not my problem."

"Technically it is. I can't sleep unless you're next to me. It's been like this ever since that little groping incident. Don't act all ignorant, dobe, I know you remember." Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and glared sullenly down at his teammate. "Let me sleep with you or neither of us sleeps." The dark haired boy raised his eyebrow in challenge, daring the blond to fight him all the way.

_Just imagine…Sasuke's warmth…Maybe you can steal a kiss._

"Whatever. Just don't kick me again." Naruto moved over to the edge of the bed, making sure Sasuke had enough room to scoot in. Once the blanket was covering them both, the blond reached over and shut off the lamp by the bed. "'Night, teme."

"Hn." Naruto rolled his eyes and elbowed the other boy in the ribs. "Ow! What the hell, Naruto?! Fine! Good night!" There was shifting and Naruto felt Sasuke's back press against his. Suddenly he wished he wasn't still wearing all of his clothes.

"Sasuke?"

"What?"

"Do you mind if I…?" Before Naruto even got an answer he sat up, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it somewhere on the floor, pants following seconds later. He buried himself back in the blanket and felt the full press of Sasuke's back against his. It felt so much better. "I'm sorry about the whole Himeko-_chan_ thing. I got mad, you know, having to watch her hang all over you."

_I wanted to be in her place._

"It was the tension, dobe." Sasuke shifted onto his side, facing the other's back. "That's why I was in a worse mood than usual. I couldn't stand it."

"So you weren't just being an ass?" Naruto snickered, rolling over to face Sasuke. They were so close together that either of them could lean forward and their lips would be touching. " And I have another question! Why the heck does everybody keep mentioning tension?"

"You haven't…noticed?" Sasuke asked, his voice strained. There was more shifting and suddenly his fingers were brushing over tanned skin, teasing. "I mean, you kept freaking out on Himeko! I kind've figured you knew what was going on!"

Naruto swallowed hard, his thoughts focused on the fingers that were sending his stomach all aflutter. He licked his lips, then tried to process what he was feeling and failed. But those fingers were moving up his side, then around to his collarbone and up to his cheek.

"God, even Sakura noticed! How did you not?!" The Uchiha hissed, his voice cracking with the strain. "Are you really that fucking dense?"

"I've been thinking about something else this whole mission." Naruto said matter-of-factly, his own fingers drawing patterns on Sasuke's hip. He wanted to get closer so that he could feel the other boy's warmth bleeding into his skin. He was almost desperate.

"Yeah, I'm sure. So what _have_ you been thinking about all this time? Becoming fucking Hokage? Tell me something I don't know."

"I want to kiss you."

"I'm sick of hearing that you-what?" Sasuke asked, taken aback. He stopped in his ministrations to stare at Naruto, who probably couldn't even see it, anyway.

"I said I want to kiss you." The blond growled.

"Then just do it! Don't tell me you want to!"

"You asked me what I'd been thinking about!"

"Why didn't you just…!" Sasuke trailed off, his mouth preoccupied by something much more interesting than scathing remarks. Fingers tangling in blond hair, he allowed the other boy to push him on his back, Naruto crawling up to straddle his hips. The Uchiha moaned low in his throat, surprised it came from him, and parted his lips for the blond's all too eager tongue.

They battled for dominance in Sasuke's mouth, Naruto winning hands down. He tilted the other boy's head back, attacking the exposed column of skin with gentle nips. Everything was blurring into color, their actions getting more frantic, breath heavy in their mouths. Ultimately they had to stop, coming too close to an edge they weren't ready to jump off of so soon. Once they had calmed down, wrapped up in the blanket and each other, Naruto lifted his head off of Sasuke's chest and spoke.

"About earlier?"

"Yeah?" Sasuke yawned, wanting to sleep instead of talk.

"…I think I love you, Sasuke."

There was a moment of silence before the Uchiha tightened his arms around the blond's waist. He had never been so happy to hear Naruto say something so stupid.

"I think I love you, too, dobe."

And just like that, Naruto's strings were back in place.

Owari

10


End file.
